Out of sight until the PDF arrives
Some tests you do not run in-house. Samples are split, packed and sent to a partner lab with a request form. The LIMS shows the test as 'sent out', and that is the last it knows. Results come back days later as a PDF in someone's inbox. They retype them into the LIMS, and the report is issued.
When a client asks where a subcontracted result is, customer services has to email the partner lab and wait.
Why subcontracted work is hard to track
- Dispatch forms are filled in by hand for each partner.
- Due dates from partners are not recorded.
- Results arrive by email in the partner's format.
- Results are retyped into the LIMS.
- Nobody chases partner labs until a client complains.
Partner labs vary. One offers a portal with downloadable results, another emails a PDF, a third sends a spreadsheet. Each has its own sample ID format and its own turnaround. The person handling subcontracting has to know all of them, and when they are away, subcontracted work quietly stalls.
What it costs
Subcontracted tests often hold up the whole report. Retyping creates errors. Staff time goes on chasing. Reports need to identify subcontracted results correctly, and doing that by hand is error-prone.
| Step | Manual | Subcontract tracking |
|---|---|---|
| Dispatch | Hand-filled form | Generated from the LIMS order |
| Due date | Unknown | Recorded from partner turnaround |
| Chasing | When a client asks | Automatic before due |
| Results | PDF, retyped | Parsed and loaded for review |
| Reporting | Marked by hand | Marked automatically as subcontracted |
Clients usually do not care which lab ran a test. They see one report from you, and if a subcontracted result holds it up, the delay is yours in their eyes. Visibility of partner work is therefore part of your own turnaround, not a separate problem.
How we build it
- When a test is assigned to a partner lab, the dispatch form and labels are generated from the LIMS order, in the partner's format.
- The dispatch is recorded with the courier, date and the due date from the partner's agreed turnaround.
- Where the partner offers a portal or API, we read status and results directly. Otherwise, results emails are parsed.
- Results are loaded into the LIMS in a review state, with the partner's report stored alongside.
- Late results trigger a chase email to the partner and an alert to your team.
- Reports mark subcontracted results as your procedures require.
We also record the partner's accreditation status for each test, from your records, so reports can mark subcontracted results correctly and your team can see at a glance whether a partner is appropriate for a particular request.
What changes
Subcontracted tests stay visible from dispatch to result. Retyping disappears for partners whose results can be parsed. Customer services can answer client questions. Late partners are chased before clients notice.
Managers can see how each partner performs on turnaround over time, which helps when choosing where to send work or when discussing service with a partner. Decisions about bringing a test in-house can be made with real volumes and delays in front of you.
Sound familiar?
- Subcontracted tests disappear from view once sent.
- Partner results are retyped from PDFs.
- Dispatch forms are filled by hand.
- Partner labs are chased only after complaints.
- Subcontracted results are marked on reports by hand.